At Equest, find a world where the lives of people with special/diverse needs are transformed through the wonder of horses & dedicated people. HUMANS | HORSES | HOPE Each year we serve 300+/- Riders with a Team: 38 horses, 12 Certified Riding Instructors & 700+ trained Volunteers. HUMANS: "Equest is place where people can see what you CAN do, not what you can't do." - Susan Schwartz, Equest Founder Therapeutic benefits from equine therapies consistently provides improvement in these areas: • Physical: Horses rhythmically & naturally move the body in a manner similar to the human gait, improving posture, balance & muscle control. Equine-assisted therapy also provides cardiovascular benefits. • Psycho-socially: These therapies increase concentration, improve sequential thought processing, increase riders’ abilities to articulate emotions, develop spatial awareness/orientation & expand their self-esteem, general awareness & self-discipline. • Life Skills: Riding can influence daily living skills, foster independence & consistently improve peer-to-peer and family relationships, resulting in increased socialization. HORSES: “In riding a horse, we borrow freedom.” – Helen Thomson, Author: Milagros Some of our most prized assets are our Therapy Horses – they are invaluable, indispensable & cherished! They are our keys to therapy. They are our friends. They are our family. They are our heroes. Extraordinary things happen when Equest Riders & their horses connect. Equest treats our horses with the same level of care afforded to our Riders, implementing a horse management program that emphasizes an optimum nutrition, exercise & preventative care regimen that maximizes soundness & productivity. HOPE "Appreciating the power of the horse to change lives..." – Dr. Paul Spiers, Past PATH Intl President One of the most life changing effects of the Equest experience is the self-confidence gained by riding, which forever ingrained in each Rider.